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Dr. Martens

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For other uses, see Doc Martin (disambiguation).

Dr. Martens
Company typePublic limited company
ISINGB00BL6NGV24
IndustryFootwear
Founded1947; 77 years ago (1947) in Seeshaupt, Germany (of the shoe sole patent)
FounderKlaus Märtens (of the shoe sole patent)
Headquarters
Wollaston, Wellingborough
,
United Kingdom
Key people
Paul Mason (Chairman)
Kenny Wilson (CEO)
Products
  • Boots
  • Bags
  • Clothing
  • Shoe care products
RevenueIncrease £908.3 million (2022)[1]
Increase £229.3 million (2022)[1]
Increase £181.2 million (2022)[1]
Websitewww.drmartens.com

Dr. Martens, also commonly known as Doc Martens, Docs or DMs,[2] is a German-founded British footwear and clothing brand, headquartered in Wollaston in the Wellingborough district of Northamptonshire, England. Although famous for its footwear, Dr. Martens also makes a range of accessories – such as shoe care products, clothing, and bags. The footwear is distinguished by its air-cushioned sole (dubbed Bouncing Soles), upper shape, welted construction and yellow stitching. Dr Martens' design studio is in Camden Town, London; the manufacturing is in the UK, China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

Founding

Klaus Märtens was a doctor in the German Army during World War II. After he injured his ankle in 1945,[3] he found that his standard-issue army boots were too uncomfortable on his injured foot. While recuperating, he designed improvements to the boots, with soft leather and air-padded soles made of tyres.[4] When the war ended and Germans looted valuables from their own cities, Märtens took leather from a cobbler's shop. With that leather he made himself a pair of boots with air-cushioned soles.[5]

A pair of classic black leather Griggs' Dr. Martens boots, with distinctive yellow stitching around the sole

Märtens did not have much success selling his shoes until he met up with an old university friend, Herbert Funck, a Luxembourger, in Munich in 1947. Funck was intrigued by the new shoe design, and the two went into business that year in Seeshaupt, Germany, using discarded rubber shaped by moulds.[6] The comfortable soles were a big hit with housewives, with 80% of sales in the first decade to women over the age of 40.[7]

United Kingdom

Sales had grown so much by 1952 that they opened a factory in Munich. In 1959, the company had grown large enough that Märtens and Funck looked at marketing the footwear internationally. Almost immediately, British shoe manufacturer R. Griggs Group bought patent rights to manufacture the shoes in the United Kingdom.[8] Griggs anglicised the name to "Dr. Martens", slightly re-shaped the heel to make them fit better, added the trademark yellow stitching, and trademarked the soles as AirWair.[9]

Cherry Red and Black 14-hole Dr. Martens boots

The first Dr. Martens boots in the UK, with an eight-eyelet cherry-red coloured smooth leather design known as style 1460, are still in production today, although in many variations. They were introduced on 1 April 1960. The three-eyelet shoe arrived exactly one year later with the style number 1461 (1/4/61). Dr. Martens boots were made in their Cobbs Lane factory in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, where they continued to be made, in addition to production elsewhere, until at least 2018.[7][10] In addition, a number of shoe manufacturers in the Northamptonshire area and further afield produced the boots under licence, as long as they passed quality standards. The boots were popular among workers such as postmen, police officers and factory workers. By the later 1960s, skinheads started to wear them, "Docs" or "DMs" being the usual naming, and by the late 1970s, they were popular among scooter riders, punks, some new wave musicians, and members of other youth subcultures.[11] The shoes' popularity among politically right-wing skinheads led to the brand gaining an association with violence.[11] Alexei Sayle sang the song "Dr. Martens' Boots" in a 1982 episode of the TV comedy The Young Ones.[12]

In 1989 Accent Group became the first manufacturer of Dr. Martens outside the UK, obtaining the rights to make them in Dunedin, New Zealand, which they did for several years.[13] The boots and shoes became popular in the 1990s as grunge fashion arose. In late November 1994, a six-storey Dr. Martens department store was opened in Covent Garden in London which also sold food, belts, and watches. At this time the R. Griggs company employed 2,700 people, expected to earn annual revenue of £170 million, and could produce up to 10 million pairs of shoes per year.[14][15]

Dr. Martens sponsored Rushden & Diamonds F.C. from 1998 to 2005. Diamonds approached owner and local businessman Max Griggs to request sponsorship from his company. A new main stand was built at Nene Park in 2001, named the Airwair Stand. Dr. Martens were also the principal sponsors of Premier League club, West Ham United F.C., renaming the upgraded west stand 'The Dr Martens Stand'.[16]

In 1999 Dr. Martens fought lawsuits in US courts. The brand filed a number of lawsuits in 2016 based primarily on trademark law.[17]

Expansion

In the 2000s, Dr. Martens were sold exclusively under the AirWair name in dozens of different styles, including conventional black shoes, sandals and steel-toed boots. AirWair International Ltd revenue fell from US$412 million in 1999 to $127 million in 2006.[18] In 2003 the Dr. Martens company came close to bankruptcy.[19] On 1 April that year, under pressure from declining sales, the company ceased making shoes in the UK,[20] and moved all production to China and Thailand. Five factories and two shops were closed in the UK, and more than 1,000 of the firm's employees lost their jobs.[21] Following the closures, the R. Griggs company employed only 20 people in the UK, all in the firm's head office.[22] Five million pairs of Dr. Martens were sold during 2003, half the 1990s level of sales.[23]

A Dr. Martens retail store in Hong Kong (2012)
Dr. Martens in Vaughan Mills

In 2004 a new range of Dr. Martens was launched in an attempt to appeal to a wider market, especially young people. The shoes and boots were intended to be more comfortable, and easier to break in, and included some new design elements.[23] Dr. Martens also began producing footwear again at the Cobbs Lane Factory in Wollaston, England in 2004 as part of the "Vintage" line, which the company advertises as being made to the original specifications.[24] Sales of these shoes are low in comparison to those made in Asia, however; in 2010, the factory was producing about 50 pairs per day.[7] In 2005, under turnaround CEO David Suddens the R. Griggs company was given an award by the "Institute for Turnaround" for implementing a successful restructure.[19]

In 2006, Griggs' 1460 Dr. Martens AirWair boot was named in the list of British design icons which included Concorde, Mini, Jaguar E-Type, Aston Martin DB5, Supermarine Spitfire, Tube map, World Wide Web and the AEC Routemaster bus.[9]

Worldwide sales of Dr. Martens shoes grew strongly in the early 2010s, and in 2012 it was the eighth-fastest-growing British company.[25] Over 100 million pairs of Dr. Martens shoes were sold from 1960 to 2010, and in 2010 the company offered 250 different models of footwear.[7] The R. Griggs company opened fourteen new Dr. Martens retail stores in the United Kingdom, United States and Hong Kong between 2009 and 2011,[26] and also launched a line of clothing during 2011.[27]

The private equity company Permira acquired R. Griggs Group Limited, the owner of the Dr. Martens brand, for £300 million in October 2013.[28] For a time Dr. Martens footwear was sold under a "for life" scheme, under which it would repair or replace worn-out DM shoes forever for a price somewhat more than twice the normal price for a pair. This offer was available in 2016, but was withdrawn for new sales from May 2018.[29] After Permira purchased Dr. Martens, Steve Murray, former brand president of Vans was hired as CEO.[30]

In 2018 ten million pairs of Dr. Martens shoes were produced, only one per cent in the UK.[10] Annual revenue in 2019 was £454 million, six times more than in 2013. The most popular model remained the 1460 boots.[31] In 2019 Dr. Martens announced plans to double the production of shoes and boots in the UK, to 165,000 pairs annually in 2020.[32] Dr Martens' design studio is in Camden Town, London.[31]

In 2019 The Guardian reported concerns that the quality of Dr. Martens shoes had declined since either production was moved to Asia or Permira acquired the brand. Many of the newspaper's readers reported that recently produced Dr. Martens products did not last as long as older production. The company responded that there had been no change in the materials used or production processes since manufacturing was moved to Asia, and only 0.5% of its footwear was defective.[33][29]

Dr. Martens was listed on the London Stock Exchange at a value of £3.7 billion in January 2021.[34]

In January 2022, the Dr Marten factory in Wollaston featured on the BBC programme Inside the Factory; Series 6, Leather boots.[35]

In August 2023, Billboard reported each member of K-pop girl group sensation NewJeans has been seen sporting some variation of Doc Martens, making Docs a fashion statement in trendy global teen culture [36] Concretely cementing Docs a fashion statement in Asia.

Cultural significance

Dr. Martens have garnered significant following and ownership within various subcultures, notably within the LGBT and punk communities.[37][38]

  • Distinctive yellow stitching on Dr. Martens shoe
    Distinctive yellow stitching on Dr. Martens shoe
  • Inside of pre-2003 Dr. Martens made in England
    Inside of pre-2003 Dr. Martens made in England
  • Inside of post-2003 Dr. Martens made in Thailand
    Inside of post-2003 Dr. Martens made in Thailand
  • Sole of pre-2003 Dr. Martens made in England
    Sole of pre-2003 Dr. Martens made in England
  • Sole of post-2003 Dr. Martens made in Thailand
    Sole of post-2003 Dr. Martens made in Thailand
  • Dr. Martens logo stamped on the outer side of a boot
    Dr. Martens logo stamped on the outer side of a boot
  • Floral-patterned Dr. Martens boots
    Floral-patterned Dr. Martens boots
  • Cherry red colour Dr. Martens 1461 shoes
    Cherry red colour Dr. Martens 1461 shoes
  • 2020 special edition with LGBT pride flag
    2020 special edition with LGBT pride flag

See also

  • Solovair - a footwear brand, not made by Dr. Martens, made in the original factory in Wollaston
  • Totectors - safety footwear brand based in Corby

References

  1. ^ a b c "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). Dr Martens. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  2. ^ England and Wales High Court (Chancery Division) Decisions. "R. Griggs Group Ltd v. Evans [2003] EWHC 2914 (Ch)". British and Irish Legal Information Institute. p. 1. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  3. ^ "How Doc Martens became mainstream fashion". Tatler. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. ^ Martin Roach: Dr. Martens The Story of an icon, 2003
  5. ^ "About Dr, Martens". dmusastore.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  6. ^ "Happy 60th Birthday, Dr. Martens". The New European. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Mazein, Elodie (2 April 2010). "Dr Martens 50 years old and still an icon to boot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  8. ^ "R. Griggs Group Ltd". hoovers.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Long list unveiled for national vote on public's favourite example of Great British Design". BBC. 18 November 2016.
  10. ^ a b Romeo, Claudia (5 June 2018). "Inside Dr. Martens' only UK factory where its iconic Made In England range has been manufactured since 1960". Business Insider. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  11. ^ a b Manzoor, Sarfraz (31 October 2010). "Dr Martens at 50: these boots were made for… everyone". The Observer. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  12. ^ "The Young Ones: Dr Marten Boots". BBC. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Our Brands > Dr. Martens". accentgr.com.au. Accent Group Limited. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  14. ^ Ipsen, Erik (17 November 1994). "Doc Martens to Stomp Into London". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  15. ^ Menkes, Suzy (29 November 1994). "London Launch For Hip Shoes: Flagship For Doc Martens". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  16. ^ "2001 Dr Martens Stand". They Fly So High. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  17. ^ "After Getting the High Fashion Treatment, Dr. Martens Amps up Litigation". The Fashion Law. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017.
  18. ^ Newman, Andrew Adam (3 December 2007). "An Antifashion Classic Returns". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  19. ^ a b Muston, Samuel (3 November 2010). "The Timeline: 50 Years of Dr Martens". The Independent. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  20. ^ "Dr Martens factories close". BBC News. 23 March 2003. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  21. ^ Pyke, Nicholas (26 October 2002). "Dr Martens is on its uppers". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  22. ^ "Anger as Dr Martens closure looms". BBC News. 12 December 2002. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  23. ^ a b Browne, David (7 November 2004). "Footwear Darwinism: Doc Martens Evolve". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  24. ^ "Increased demand for vintage Dr Martens fuels expansion". BBC News. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  25. ^ Cochrane, Lauren (19 July 2012). "Dr Martens enjoy comeback with best-selling season ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  26. ^ "No bovver as Docs make quick profit". Northamptonshire Telegraph. 13 April 2012. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  27. ^ "Dr. Martens launches clothing line". The Independent. 19 April 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  28. ^ "Dr Martens owner is bought by Permira", BBC News, London, 24 October 2013. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.
  29. ^ a b Miles Brignall (19 August 2020). "Dr Martens' 'for life' pledge has left me worn out". The Guardian. Article also with many readers' comments on the fall in quality of Dr. Martens footwear
  30. ^ "Steve Murray named CEO of Dr. Martens". eatshopsurf.com. Eat Shop Surf.
  31. ^ a b Wood, Zoe (17 August 2019). "Oh so pretty … political upheaval credited for Dr Martens sales boost". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  32. ^ "Dr Martens invests £2m in Northampton site". BBC News. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  33. ^ Collinson, Patrick; Smithers, Rebecca (30 November 2019). "Dr Martens: are things going wrong with the UK's beloved brand?". The Guardian.
  34. ^ Sweney, Mark (29 January 2021). "Dr Martens will make stock market debut at value of £3.7 billion". The Guardian.
  35. ^ "BBC Two - Inside the Factory, Series 6, Leather Boots". BBC. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  36. ^ "NewJeans Style Inspo: 6 Pieces Inspired by Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin & Hyein". Billboard. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  37. ^ "How Doc Martens Became a Staple in Lesbian's Closets". Capilano Courier. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  38. ^ "A History of Dr. Martens and the Punk Scene". Journeys. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
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